


Impossibility

by therune



Category: Assassin's Creed
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-07
Updated: 2012-04-07
Packaged: 2017-11-03 05:10:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/377649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/therune/pseuds/therune
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>kinkmeme request: La Volpe/Giovanni reunion</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Impossibility

La Volpe prides himself in knowing everything that goes on in his city.  
He is smart, swift and a very gifted thief.  
However, his timing is horrible.

He starts out in Venezia, building up the guild, but then he has his mind set on bigger goals and leaves for Roma. He quickly becomes leader of the thieves, their business flourishes, but he gets bored and leaves.  
The Borgia start to infest Roma not three months after he's gone.

La Volpe is drawn to Firenze and stays for a while, enjoying the climate and especially the company. The Auditore brothers are assassins and damn good ones at that. He enjoys bickering with the elder Mario and competing with the younger Giovanni, racing over rooftops, climbing up towers, never stopping, never hesitating.  
Giovanni settles down, meets the love of his life and has kids. He is the proudest, loving, most doting father he has ever met. La Volpe looks at the children and sees Giovanni in their smiles. They climb up his lap, cling to his arms and legs and force him to play with them. Giovanni laughs and he has never looked more beautiful.

La Volpe is no marrying man, an eternal nomad, and things seem too stable for him in Firenze. He leaves for Sicily for a while.  
Then he travels to Egypt. He is on his way back, carelessly sitting on a ship that's sailing for Italia as Giovanni is hanged.  
As he hears of Giovanni's horrible death and how he was betrayed, he feels like a part of himself is dying. But he doesn't have time to grief. Ezio, Giovanni's middle son is alive and following his father's footsteps. Giovanni would have wanted la Volpe to keep his son safe.   
La Volpe lives in the shadows, watching Ezio, turning little things into his favor. He helps as best as he can, and then goes to visit Mario. Giovanni's wife and daughter are at Monteriggioni and it breaks his heart to see Maria like this. She loved her husband and children more than he could have ever imagined. He bickers with Mario, just like in the old times, but it doesn't feel right without Giovanni sitting beside them with that sassy grin on his face, doesn't feel right without him poking la Volpe, doesn't feel right without playfully wrestling with his brother.

He departs for Roma. The guild's glory days are over, his little empire in ruins due to neglect and greed. He starts to rebuild it, to clean up, to make things right again.  
He meets Ezio again and then he gets the Volpe Addormentata.  
The fight continues, they fight the Borgia in the streets and in secret.  
And for just this one time, his timing is right.

As Ezio picks up the apple, a ripple goes through time and space.  
The apple's power unleashes, but it is directed through Ezio's heart. On the surface, Ezio wants to fight the Borgia, he wants revenge, he wants strength, but deep down, he is a little boy who wants his family back. The sheer unarticulated need resonates within the apple and it does Ezio's bidding. But Ezio can't control it.

When he uses the apple to attack, it drains his own health.

On a church tower in Firenze, Federico Auditore wonders how he got there.

Sitting confused beside a pigeon coop in Venezia, Petruccio watches the birds fly and smiles.

Mario plops down in Monteriggoni, the town being rebuilt after the attack and his first action is to holler and yell commands.

And in Roma, Giovanni Auditore falls from the sky into la Volpe's arms.

Giovanni as Volpe remembers him, clad in white, grinning, long hair spilling from his hood, warm, vibrant and so alive.  
"Ummm...ciao, Volpe," Giovanni says, sounding dazed, "I...whoa, I feel weeeeeird."  
La Volpe has to smile. "Don't worry, I got you," he says and carries Giovanni back to the Sleeping Fox.  
Giovanni wraps his arms around his neck. He is a warm, solid weight in la Volpe's arms.  
Just like it used to be.  
La Volpe thinks of the war against the Borgia, of Rodrigo, Cesare, fights to liberate Roma, of the attack on Monteriggioni, of Ezio's struggles and of the day Giovanni died. Then he looks at Giovanni who gives him a goofy smile and decides that this can wait. Let him have one day of light, one day without worries and sorrows. It will become serious soon enough.

He opens the door, shifting a dazed Giovanni in his arms awkwardly which causes Giovanni to laugh. "You could let me down, you know."  
La Volpe tenses, clutching Giovanni close. "But I won't."  
"Still the same, Volpe."  
"Always."

They enter and la Volpe sits down at the bar, Giovanni positioning himself on his lap. La Volpe fetches some wine. He really needs a drink now. His mind is reeling. What has happened? How did it happen? Why is Giovanni alive? Why here? What else has happened? Is this real? It wouldn't be the first time he dreamt of Giovanni, albeit the first time where he's carriyng him through the streets of Roma and now getting drunk with him. He doesn't understand it, and that scares la Volpe.  
"You look different, Volpino." Giovanni pokes his ribs. "Have you gotten fatter?"  
La Volpe snorts. "You never change, do you?"  
"Never," Giovanni affirms and threads his arm through Volpe's.  
La Volpe pushes both their hoods back and inhales sharply. Giovanni is young and strong, definetely not looking like he's 40. La Volpe trails his fingers through the long hair. "I remember that one time when you fell asleep and Mario braided these."  
"Me too. And I walked around with that the whole day, people snickering all the time and I had no clue why."  
"Mario never told me where he learned to braid hair."  
"Valentina d´Agostino, he was madly in love with her...and her sister Carlotta."  
"Good times. When it was just the three of us, us against the world, always running, always flying, together forever,"  
"You say the strangest things, Volpe," Giovanni says with a confused smile, "we're still like that."

La Volpe sees that Giovanni doesn´t remember, at least not now, that he´s a bit confused. The memories are there, just out of his grasp for now. As soon as la Volpe mentions Maria or their children, Giovanni will remember, and then he will leave.  
La Volpe is selfish and feels bad for what he's doing, but just this once, he will live without regrets, without looking back or ahead. He places a warm hand on Giovanni's shoulder. He doesn't speak, but Giovanni knows anyway. He tilts his head upwards and brushes his lips over la Volpe's. This night, it will be the 1450s again, before Giovanni met Maria, before he became husband and father. La Volpe feels guilty, he should tell Giovanni of the years he's forgotten, but he can't. Not when Giovanni is right here, back in his arms. Not when he is warm and alive again. Not when he wraps his arms around la Volpe's neck and his hair tickles la Volpe in the best way possible.  
"We never did that without me chasing you through half the city, are you getting old?"  
"No, just more impatient."  
He slips his fingers under Giovanni's clothes and tugs, working at all the clasps and buckles.  
"And obviously way more comfortable about having sex in public," Giovanni grins, "you always whisked me away to gardens on rooftops, old attics, somewhere where no one would find us."  
"Because I want you all for myself. But you're right, we should find a more comfortable place."  
He rises and pulls Giovanni to his arms again. He will never let him go again. 

He carries a giggling Giovanni upstairs into his private rooms. Giovanni peppers his face with kisses and wriggles, making it difficult to not lose him. He lays Giovanni down on the bed and undresses him slowly. There are scars that Volpe doesn't remember. He doesn't want to think anymore and kisses Giovanni, leaving him breathless. Giovanni moans and tears at Volpe's clothing. Soon he is a mewling, wriggling mess, having his hands nowhere and everywhere at once. He blushes and pulls la Volpe into another kiss, cheat heaving, panting. He wraps his legs around Volpe, pushing their groins together, moaning. His hands sneak into Volpe's hair and drag him down into a forceful kiss, hips grinding, back arching off the bed. Volpe groans and pulls Giovanni onto his lap, both shudder and moan at the friction and warmth.  
It is exactly like it used to be, fast, hard, playful and it leaves them a mess of sprawling limbs and kisses pressed to every inch of skin they can reach.  
La Volpe can't leave his hands off Giovanni, he has to touch, to feel. Giovanni is draped over Volpe, head pillowed on his chest. Volpe plays with his hair.  
"Volpe?" Giovanni asks sleepily.  
"Hm?"  
Giovanni yawns and snuggles closer, pulling a blanket over them both. "There's this feeling...that I'm missing something. I can´t put my fingers on it, but, there's something, I need to remember something."  
"Go to sleep, it's alright." Volpe presses a kiss into his hair.  
"But-"  
"Shhhh, sleep. It will be alright, I promise."  
Giovanni sighs contently and goes to sleep.  
"I will watch over you, always."


	2. Birds in Flight

The bell tolls and Federico slumps on the roof. He touches his neck gingerly, expecting to find rope marks, expecting to choke, expecting to drop dead. But he is alright, he is normal, he is alive.  
It doesn't take him long to figure out what must have happened. He died, years ago; he remembers standing at the gallows with his father and brother, he remembers dying, but he's here now. It doesn't make any sense.  
But, if he is back, maybe his father and brother are as well?

His first instinct is to run home, but he finds the palazzo deserted. An elderly neighbor tells him that after the execution, Maria Auditore and her daughter left the city to go to the country. At least they are alive. The women hushes that Ezio is rumored to have become an assassin, that he was the one to rid Firenze of the Pazzi. But the assassin has left Firenze long ago, she doesn't know where he went or if he's still alive. Just as he turns to leave, she tells him that he looks just like a boy who used to live here and asks if he's related to the family. He smiles sadly and replies that she doesn't know how true her words are.  
His mother and sister left for the countryside - they must have gone to Uncle Mario. Federico doesn't remember his father's brother very well, he saw him the last time at Petruccio's birth. But he's family and that is where his mother would have gone.

In Monteriggioni, people stare at Mario like he's a ghost. Then he starts yelling and it's like a dam has been broken. His fighters are amazed, he is even tougher than they thought, he must be invincible, they were sure that the gunshot had killed him, but they reason that they didn't have time to check properly during the attack. Mario must have survived, and their hopes are restored in a heartbeat. Monteriggioni makes good progress, most buildings are already rebuilt. The villa is still in ruins, but not for long if Mario has his way. He orders to have it restored, just the way it was. And to his most trusted architect, he mentions that another secret passageway and maybe hidden weapons wouldn't hurt.  
Ezio has gone to Rome, he has sent Maria and Claudia to Firenze. He will make sure they're safe before he maks his way to Rome.  
It's confusing: he is sure that he died, that he was shot, but he is alive now. Maybe he has survived, barely, then lost his memory while he healed - immense shock and injuries can do that to a person - and then found his way back.  
He visits the weapon's shop, gets new armor, and as he's done perparing, he rides for Firenze.

On the way, he passes a rider who flies like a bat out of hell. His face - but that's impossible!  
"Nipote?!"  
The rider turns around. He looks like he's seen a ghost. "Uncle Mario?" 

 

The pigeons coo at Petruccio and he pets them, watches them fly. Already he has several feathers stuffed into his pocket.  
He doesn't know where he is or how he got there. It feels like waking from a dream. He inhales deeply and it smells like the sea. And, he breathes normally. No coughs, no tightness in his chest. He stands up and starts to walk. He feels alright. He feels better than alright, he feels fantastic. There is new energy in his limbs, like a fire burning in his body. He feels like he could climb the tallest towers, race with the wind, feels like he could fly. Too many times he has seen Federico and Ezio run around on rooftops, scaling walls and jumping over impossible distances. He wants to try that, too, he feels like he's ready. Petruccio walks to the edge of the roof and looks down. He is not used to heights, he feels dizzy. He remembers falling, remembers the noose around his neck, remembers the darkness.  
"Cazzo, are you alright?" he turns his head and a woman is perched next to him.  
"Go away from the edge, you could fall, merda."  
She takes his hand and leads him to the middle of the roof. "How did you get up here anyway?" she asks.  
"I don't know, madonna," he answers.  
She grins. "No one has ever called me madonna before, I'm Rosa."  
"I'm Petruccio. Petruccio Auditore da Firenze."  
"Dio mio! Let me guess, your father's name is Ezio." Rosa sighs, that must be Ezio´s son. She didn't even know he had a son. Well, she suspected that he would have a small army of bastards running around.  
"No, my father is Giovanni Auditore. Ezio's my brother."  
"That's impossible!"  
She looks at the child, gently brushes the bangs from his face. There is something in his face that reminds her painfully of Ezio, but there is more. Ezio told her about his family, told her about Petruccio and his odd hobby to collect feathers.  
"Let's get you to Antonio, he´ll know what to do."  
She picks Petruccio up and runs to the home of the thieves' guild. In her arms, the boy whoops with joy and she has to smile.  
"He's adorable," Antonio says. He and Rosa look at Petruccio who's sitting at the table, eating cakes, sneaking a sip of wine when he thinks they're not looking. He insists on calling Rosa "Madonna" and Antonio "Don de Magianis".  
They have sent a pigeon to Roma. They still don't quite understand it, but Petruccio has become a part of their little family. Antonio shows him how to pickpocket and tells him not to tell Rosa. Rosa teaches him how to climb and tells him not to tell Antonio. The thieves have warmed up to Petruccio fast, bringing him feathers and gifts from all over Venezia.  
They receive answer from Roma to bring Petruccio there, and Rosa volunteers.

 

The whole Auditore family is reunited in Roma. Giovanni crushes his children against his chest, promising never ever to let them out of his sight again. They are a mess of tears, of joy, of embraces.  
Federico makes jibes about Ezio's age, Petruccio asks him if Rosa has a boyfriend, Claudia promises to do horrible things to her brothers if they ever leave her again. Maria kisses every one of them.  
It goes on like this, kisses, embraces, demands to hear stories from Ezio, Giovanni's fingers laced with Maria's, Petruccio showing them a climbing trick he learned from Rosa, Claudia showing her ring finger proudly.  
At some point, Mario has his little brother in a headlock, pleading laughingly for mercy; Petruccio steals Claudia's purse and denies it, Maria talking to her eldest sons sternly - they are a real family again. They keep close, constantly touch each other, if it's just a clap on the shoulder, a kiss on the cheek, an embrace or arms threaded through another.

And from the shadows, the Fox watches and smiles.


End file.
